 | Snow-berries. A book for young folks |  |
35
THE BURNING PRAIRIE.
The prairie stretched as smooth as a floor,
Far as the eye could see,
And the settler sat at his cabin door
With a little girl on his knee,
Striving her letters to repeat,
And pulling her apron over her feet.
Far as the eye could see,
And the settler sat at his cabin door
With a little girl on his knee,
Striving her letters to repeat,
And pulling her apron over her feet.
His face was wrinkled, but not old,
For he held an upright form,
And his shirt-sleeves back to the elbow rolled,
They showed a brawny arm;
And near in the grass, with toes upturned,
Was a pair of old shoes, cracked and burned.
For he held an upright form,
And his shirt-sleeves back to the elbow rolled,
They showed a brawny arm;
And near in the grass, with toes upturned,
Was a pair of old shoes, cracked and burned.
A dog with his head betwixt his paws
Lay lazily dozing near,
Now and then snapping his tar-black jaws
At the fly that buzzed at his ear;
And near was the cow-pen, made of rails,
And a bench that held two milking-pails.
Lay lazily dozing near,
Now and then snapping his tar-black jaws
At the fly that buzzed at his ear;
And near was the cow-pen, made of rails,
And a bench that held two milking-pails.
In the open door an ox-yoke lay,
The mother's odd redoubt,
To keep the little one at her play
On the floor from falling out;
While she swept the hearth with a turkey-wing,
And filled her tea-kettle at the spring.
The mother's odd redoubt,
To keep the little one at her play
On the floor from falling out;
While she swept the hearth with a turkey-wing,
And filled her tea-kettle at the spring.
36
The little girl on her father's knee,
With eyes so bright and blue,
From A B C to X Y Z
Had said her lesson through,
When a wind came over the prairie-land,
And caught the primer out of her hand.
With eyes so bright and blue,
From A B C to X Y Z
Had said her lesson through,
When a wind came over the prairie-land,
And caught the primer out of her hand.
The watch-dog whined, the cattle lowed,
And tossed their horns about;
The air grew gray as if it snowed;
“There will be a storm, no doubt!”
So to himself the settler said;
“But, father, why is the sky so red?”
And tossed their horns about;
The air grew gray as if it snowed;
“There will be a storm, no doubt!”
So to himself the settler said;
“But, father, why is the sky so red?”
And the little girl slid off his knee,
And all of a tremble stood;
“Good wife,” he cried; “come out and see!
The clouds are as red as blood!”
“God save us!” cried the settler's wife,
“The prairie's afire! We must run for life!”
And all of a tremble stood;
“Good wife,” he cried; “come out and see!
The clouds are as red as blood!”
“God save us!” cried the settler's wife,
“The prairie's afire! We must run for life!”
She caught the baby up. “Come! come!
Are ye mad? to your heels, my man!”
He followed, terror-stricken, dumb,
And so they ran and ran;
Close upon them the snort and swing
Of buffaloes, madly galloping.
Are ye mad? to your heels, my man!”
He followed, terror-stricken, dumb,
And so they ran and ran;
Close upon them the snort and swing
Of buffaloes, madly galloping.
The wild wind like a sower sows
The ground with sparkles red,
And the flapping wings of bats and crows
Through the ashes overhead,
And the bellowing deer and the hissing snake,—
What a swirl of terrible sounds they make!
The ground with sparkles red,
37
Through the ashes overhead,
And the bellowing deer and the hissing snake,—
What a swirl of terrible sounds they make!
No gleam of the river water yet!
And the flames leap on and on!
A crash, and a fiercer whirl and jet,
And the settler's house is gone!
The air grows hot. “This fluttering curl
Would blaze like flax,” says the little girl.
And the flames leap on and on!
A crash, and a fiercer whirl and jet,
And the settler's house is gone!
The air grows hot. “This fluttering curl
Would blaze like flax,” says the little girl.
And as the smoke against her drifts,
And the lizard slips close by her,
She tells how the little cow uplifts
Her speckled face from the fire;
For she cannot be hindered from looking back
At the fiery dragon on their track.
And the lizard slips close by her,
She tells how the little cow uplifts
Her speckled face from the fire;
For she cannot be hindered from looking back
At the fiery dragon on their track.
They hear the crackling grass and sedge,
The flames as they whir and rave;
On, on! they are close to the water's edge!
They are there, breast-deep in the wave!
And lifting their little ones high o'er the tide,—
“We are saved, thank God! we are saved!” they cried.
The flames as they whir and rave;
On, on! they are close to the water's edge!
They are there, breast-deep in the wave!
And lifting their little ones high o'er the tide,—
“We are saved, thank God! we are saved!” they cried.
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